J. Alexander Smith is a Canadian-American cellist whose work integrates performance and education with a rare blend of interdisciplinary curiosity and artistic versatility. His talent for performance was recognised following his first lessons at the age of 3. Today, he holds degrees from the New England Conservatory and Vanderbilt University, pursuing cello performance alongside academic pursuits in environmental science. This distinctive foundation reflects an analytical and thoughtful approach that informs his musical interpretations and collaborative projects.
Alexander’s performances are marked by a nuanced command of the cello’s full expressive range, performing extensively in North America and Europe as both a soloist and chamber musician. His instant adaptability and openness have shaped a career rooted in both local engagement and global collaboration.
An avid chamber musician, Alexander was a founding member of the Eunoia String Quartet and Trio Alinea.
His performance experience spans a broad range of styles and repertoire. He has appeared with a variety of new music ensembles, with a wide 20th/21st century repertoire. To date, he has commissioned 5 new works, including 4 new works for solo cello. Alongside this, he is exploring historically informed performance, with recent performances including CPE Bach's Cello Concerto in A major on an historical instrument, as well as a complete 17th century programme through the New England Conservatory's early music fellowship. This stylistic versatility is central to his artistic identity.
Alexander is equally committed to education and outreach. He currently serves as a teaching artist with the Boston Music Project as well as working as an educational consultant, helping students (particularly those facing language barriers) navigate the difficult path to higher education. His ability to connect across disciplines, age groups, and cultures is a consistent throughline in his work.
His instrument is a Ruggieri model made in 2021 by Andrew Carruthers, and is proud to play a Canadian-made bow by Bernard Walke.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Nulla tristique turpis a velit consequat hendrerit. Donec eget pretium diam, sed volutpat augue. Morbi lacinia, ex at luctus tempus, tellus ligula fringilla urna, eget malesuada urna odio nec ante. Proin odio ante, gravida in molestie et, cursus eget magna. Pellentesque ac lectus est. Suspendisse enim mi, convallis vitae nisi vel, vehicula facilisis erat. Donec at imperdiet augue, at malesuada massa. Curabitur eu ipsum a mauris congue porttitor. Suspendisse eu metus ornare, condimentum elit ac, feugiat diam. In malesuada quis risus non cursus. Vivamus tempus sodales enim, at molestie neque ultrices nec. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia curae;
Sed a lorem quam. Morbi congue nunc sed semper facilisis. Duis ac laoreet ex. Sed vitae dolor sit amet sem convallis tincidunt quis sed ligula. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Maecenas hendrerit finibus nisl, non blandit odio facilisis et. Aliquam vel porta justo.
Curabitur a bibendum risus, at tincidunt libero. Donec tempor interdum lacinia. Nulla vel consectetur dui, vel cursus nibh. Nulla justo magna, blandit eget vehicula in, interdum quis arcu. Ut vitae imperdiet mauris, sed pellentesque eros. Cras ac venenatis eros. Pellentesque scelerisque nibh ac aliquam ultrices. Vestibulum vitae justo nec dui fringilla tristique ut eget metus. Nullam id pharetra diam. Donec a velit tellus. In pharetra, tellus quis gravida rhoncus, ex massa porttitor arcu, vitae vulputate tortor enim sed felis.
Duis elementum suscipit consectetur. Suspendisse a velit orci. In laoreet vestibulum diam at sagittis. Quisque condimentum nisi vel sapien luctus, at tempus leo pretium. Mauris eget nisi lorem. Nam dapibus vestibulum dapibus. Phasellus ut sagittis ante. Nunc molestie ligula at odio blandit placerat. Curabitur eget nulla vitae felis luctus venenatis. Mauris feugiat a eros quis tristique. Duis maximus dignissim ex et congue. Phasellus volutpat vulputate varius. Donec venenatis turpis vitae lacus faucibus, vel auctor turpis rhoncus. Cras ac lacus turpis.
In semper dignissim lacus, ac gravida velit rhoncus at. Pellentesque nec finibus leo, eu porta erat. Fusce laoreet eleifend libero ac blandit. Suspendisse vulputate imperdiet nisi, vel tristique nisi eleifend quis. Sed ipsum ipsum, lobortis ut pulvinar et, hendrerit ac magna. Integer sapien nisi, eleifend ac augue ac, mattis mattis lorem. Donec ac dui bibendum, tempus risus vitae, lobortis orci. Praesent pulvinar posuere dapibus.